Birdsong
by flyinhigh
Summary: When Max, Fang, and the rest of the Flock fly through a waterfall they end up in a world unknown to them. A world where everyone has either wings or parts of a serpent. A world where they fit in. Hawksong/Maximum Ride cross.
1. The Beginning

Sup guys…ugh, I haven't updated forever

**Sup guys…ugh, I haven't updated forever. Sorry. And no, I'm not giving up Happy Days, it's just I've had an idea for a new story for a while and didn't want to start it while Happy Days was still up, but couldn't focus on writing Happy Days. So tell me if you like this one and I should continue on with it or if I should just go back to Happy Days. Oh, one more thing; I'm soooo sorry I haven't been reviewing your stories, I went on vacation and came back three weeks later with seven pages of unread updates in my inbox. It's taking me a while to comb through them all, especially now that tons of people are updating every other day. Anyways, the first couple chapters might not be my best simply because I haven't written anything other than a cloning paper for Language Arts class in the last four months. Whoops.**

**Fang's POV**

Humanity sucks.

I take that back, the world sucks.

These thoughts are the ones that ring through my mind as I sit on watch duty, _again. _It seems like I'm always on watch duty now, Iggy and I both. I hate waking up Gazzy so he can take a watch, Nudge freaks out and is a pain to fly with the next day if she doesn't get exactly eight hours of deep sleep, and I'm too worried Angel will be distracted by a squirrel or something if we leave her on watch to actually sleep. So that leaves Iggy, me, and Max.

Max.

I don't even know how to explain it anymore. After we returned from Antarctica, Max changed. She's not the strong, confident, leader we have always know anymore. She's just different.

It's almost as she has curled inside herself. She still talks and eats and tries to act normal for the younger kids, but never laughs, or even cries anymore. She has put up this shield, and hardly ever lets anyone in.

As Iggy would say "Look who finally cracked."

I don't think that Max has gone completely crazy; my mind can't even focus on that thought. Because if we lose Max, we lose us. We lose everything we've worked for our whole lives. We lose the fight to show people we are just normal kids with extra muscle, brainpower, and wings.

And _they _win. All the people who ever doubted us win. All the sick scientists at the School win. All the people who called us freaks win. All the people who _thought _about calling us freaks win.

So you see, there's no way we can lose Max.

"Dangit…" I heard Iggy whisper across the campfire. I got up, careful not to step on any twigs that would crack loudly as I made my way over to him.

"What'd you do?" I whispered.

"Spark flew up. I'm okay…" He sucked on his wrist.

"Okay. You go to sleep, I'll finish up this watch." I yawned inwardly at the thought of staying up another two hours. That would leave me a total of three hours of sleep, seeing as I had been on watch with Iggy most of the night already.

I sat down on "my" log where I sat during my watch every night. It was positioned just right so I could watch Max without staring flat out at her.

Max.

Max's hair had gone from a blondish color to a lighter brown, and it was obvious she hadn't used Nudge's brush for a while. Leaves and twigs were caught up in her hair, and I resisted the overwhelming urge to get up and pull them out. I couldn't believe how ratted her hair had gotten since we had been forced to run away again.

After we did out thing and saved the world, we (AKA Max) decided to go back to her mom's house. Not the greatest idea ever. When we got there, her mom and Ella were both gone. Nearly all the windows were broken, and blood was smeared up against the front door.

_As soon as we landed, Max charged inside. I followed while shouting over my shoulder at the others to stay outside until we gave them the all clear. Max burst through the door and did a quick 360, as was habit. She charged into the kitchen, with me at her heels. All we found there was more blood. _

_Then we were off to the bedrooms. Max burst through each door, hoping to find Ella or Dr. Martinez or even Jeb. I knew better, I was hoping we wouldn't find them. There was just too much blood. If we found them here, they wouldn't be people anymore._

_They would be bodies._

_We didn't find them. We did find poor Total though, tied to a dog bed with a piece of cloth in his mouth to keep him from talking. I found him actually, and thought he was dead. I was bracing myself to tell Angel when Max burst in. _

_"Oh my god. Is he dead? Angel's gonna kill us…" She crouched down next to me and whipped a strand of hair that was falling in her eyes back behind her ear. Just then Total's ear twitched. _

_"Hey, did you see…" I started off before rubbing my eyes. I really had thought I was going crazy._

_"There's no pulse…" Max brought her head back up from listening to Total's heart._

_Right then, his ear twitched again. _

_"Hey, Max, did you see that?" _

_"What?" I shook my head. _

_"Never mind."_

_"Okaaay, then…" Max brought her attention back to Total's heartbeat (or lack thereof)_

_And the ear twitched again._

_"Max!" I jumped away from the "dead" dog._

_"What Fang? I'm trying to concentrate here!" She snapped at me._

_"That dog's ear just twitched. I swear by any gods I may happen to believe in."_

_Max turned around to look at me._

_And the ear twitched._

_"Right there!" I pointed. Of course, as soon as she looked, the ear wasn't twitching anymore._

_"Fang, why don't you go get the others." Max said very slowly, as if I was going crazy._

_"No, Max! I swear! It twitched!" _

_Just then Angel ran in, with Iggy close on her heels. I could hear him murmuring to her._

_"Angel, if you don't get back outside, so help me God, I will refuse to cook for the next three months and leave you to starve off Max or Fang's cooking." I glared at him. As if he sensed my glare, he gave a shrug in my general direction. _

_"Sorry man, but those cookies you made sucked." _

_Angel snickered at me before turning her attention back to whatever caused her to burst into the house in the first place._

_"I heard Total!" She laughed. "I really did! He was thinking about how much his ear itched!" _

_I raised my eyebrows at Max, as if to say, "I told you so", but she just rolled her eyes at me before crouching down next to Angel._

_"Angel, Total isn't alive. I checked for a pulse and everything, it's just not there."_

_But Angel was not so easily convinced. _

_"Yes, he is! I know it, I know it! And I know you think it was just Fang thinking about Total, but it wasn't! Fang's thoughts are always laced in with something depressing, like a holocaust or something, and this was Total!"_

_Then Total's back leg twitched._

_"There!" I pointed. "His leg just twitched!" _

_Max glared at me. Of course, right when it happened, she wasn't looking. _

_Then, out of the blue, Total's eye opened up and blinked. He tried to turn his head to look at us, but he was still tied down._

_"Total!" Angel happily squealed. _

_Max sighed but turned around to look, just in time to see Total blink and try to stand up. Her eyes widened and I couldn't hold in the laugh building up inside me. _

_Max glared at me before swiping my pocketknife from my left pocket. She sawed upward through the tight ropes holding Total down._

_"Dangit Max, that was my sharpest knife…" I glared down at her and thought I heard her snicker under her breath._

_As soon as Total was free and checked over, (Angel had to be assured many times he would be fine) we continued searching the house. To my relief, and Max's obvious distress, we didn't find Max's mom or Ella. _

_I tried to explain to her how it was best that we didn't find them, but she just withdrew from me. She screamed and yelled about me not wanting her to find them because I thought they would take her away from me._

_Which may have been partly true. But I wouldn't have wanted them dead! _

After that day, she wasn't the same anymore. Which had lead up to now. She blamed herself and us for not finding her "real" family. That's what hurt all of us the most, when she referred to them as her "real family". Angel cried and refused to talk to Max, instead asking me to ask Max where we were going, or when we were going to eat, or where we were going to stay. After a few times of asking Max and in turn receiving a glare and a "If you're so smart, why don't you figure it out yourself?" comments, I gave up on asking Max and started making decisions of my own.

Which is really, _really_ scary.

**I gotta go now, but I really wanted to get a chapter up and see the general feeling of it. I know it sounds kinda weird right now, but all of this is leading up to a twist, that I'm pretty sure no one has done in Maximum Ride fics. If you're curious, ask in your review because I want some opinions on it anyway. **


	2. Never too late

Wow, I'm impressed

**Wow, I'm impressed. So far, no one has even made a guess at where this story is going. I hope the surprise is a good thing then! The "turning point" of the story will be next chapter, and so yeah, this is kinda a filler. But at least it's an update, right? This chapter is a partial song-fic, but will probably be the only one in the story, I just heard the song and couldn't stop thinking about how closely it related to the Flock in my mind. The song is Never too Late, by Three Days Grace**

**Fang's POV**

I heard Max whimper in her sleep. For some reason, that bugged me. Like, really, _really _bugged me. I wanted to pick her up and shake the old Max back into her.

_This world will never be_

_What I expected_

_And if I don't belong_

_Who would have guessed it_

I clenched my arms and my sides, trying to remind myself that besides the rest of the Flock, Max was my life; my purpose to live. She was the only reason we were still alive today, which is a debt I will never pay off. We used to joke around that it was her leadership skills for my lifetime of service.

_I will not leave alone_

_Everything that I own_

_To make you feel like it's not too late_

_It's never too late_

Max didn't realize (or choose not to realize) the effect she was having on _everyone. _Angel didn't asks for bedtime stories anymore, she said she had suddenly felt the need to be a grown up. Gazzy's sick jokes were kept to a minimum (which I could appreciate) but he hardly smiled anymore, and even a tilt up of the corner of his mouth was a treat. Nudge still talked, and tried to smile to make things normal again for the younger kids, but anyone could see she was being pulled down by Max's depression.

_Even if I say_

_It'll be alright_

_Still I hear you say_

_You want to end your life_

We tried comforting Max in the first few weeks. I would spend _nights _repeating, "shhh…it's okay, we'll be okay…" while she cried. Eventually I couldn't physically stay awake any longer and fell asleep. When I woke up, Max was sitting next to me, cradling her head.

"I'm done, Fang." She had whispered. "I'm done. I can't do this anymore…"

"Yes you can, Max. We've gotten through stuff like this before, we'll get through it again." I rubbed my eyes, trying to apologize to them for only four hours of sleep in the last three days.

"No, I can't, Fang. I just…can't."

_Now and again we try_

_To just stay alive_

_Maybe we'll turn it around_

_'Cause it's not too late_

_It's never too late_

"Max! I will not let you quit because it's too hard, or because you're too tired, or because any of us are hurt. You, Iggy, and myself have spent _every minute of our lives _trying to survive. I will not let you take that away from yourself."

_No one will ever see_

_This side reflected_

_And if there's something wrong_

_Who would have guessed it_

Max just shook her head and let her tears continue to flow. I realized I had never seen Max cry before. No one had, until now. It seemed _wrong_ for her to have salty water running down her face, more wrong than it would ever be for any of the rest of us.

_And I have left alone_

_Everything that I own_

_To make you feel like_

_It's not too late_

_It's never too late_

That's when I realized the second major fact that night. I had never seen Max cry, because she had always gotten her way. We had always (well, nearly always) done what she asked without a moment's hesitation. We left our home in Colorado we had stayed in for a brief time for her. We left all our belongings in the house because Max said they would only weigh us down.

Maximum Ride was a rotten spoiled brat. A brilliant, beautiful, caring, rotten spoiled brat.

_The world we knew_

_Won't come back_

_The time we've lost_

_Can't get back_

_The life we had_

_Won't be ours again_

The world we had grown up in is now being run by political leaders who don't have any idea what they're doing. Or even if they do know what they're doing, they don't give a crap about mutant freaks that happen to have emotional breakdowns occasionally.

We don't belong in this world anymore. We can't go back to living normal lives, _ever_. Living our lives wouldn't be so bad if we hadn't gotten a taste of normal life. A taste of what every other fifteen year old (even though we do look like 22 year olds according to popular survey) goes through everyday.

_This world will never be_

_What I expected_

_And if I don't belong…_

_Even if I say_

_It'll be alright_

_Still I hear you say_

_You want to end your life_

_Now and again we try_

_To just stay alive_

_Maybe we'll turn it around_

_'Cause it's not too late_

_It's never too late_

_Maybe we'll turn it around_

_'Cause it's not too late_

_It's never too late (It's never too late)_

_It's not too late_

_It's never too late_

I heard Max whimper in her sleep again. That snapped the only stable thought remaining in my head.

"That is _it!_" I hissed. Although I said it quietly, the whole flock was up and staring at me within three seconds.

"What's wrong?" Nudge murmured sleepily, once she had confirmed there weren't any freaky mutants attacking us.

"_We _are wrong. This isn't us, staying in the same place outside for weeks, just waiting to be attacked." Max's eyes shifted in the closest thing to any emotion she'd shown us in weeks as I glared at her.

"We don't have anywhere else to go though." Gazzy looked up at me, almost like he used to look up to Max. I felt a shiver go through my spine; I didn't want to be the leader figure.

"I don't care. Anywhere's better than waiting here like sitting ducks. Or sitting birds, should I say." I laughed harshly, too wound up in this fit of anger to stop the words from pouring from my mouth.

Max still didn't say anything.

"We're leaving as soon as it's light enough to fly. Pack your things." With this closing sentence I turned and stormed off into the edge of the campsite to pack up mine and Max's things. I had gotten over assuming she'd pack her own a long time ago.

As I was throwing mine and Max's clothes into a canvas bag, I realized something.

I had just given the Flock orders. They all had responded immediately without complaining.

Even Max. The same Max who had never let anyone tell her what to do. The same Max who had always glared at me until I was about to whimper after I gave any order.

The same Max who was now following my rules like a faithful soldier.

A soldier being lead into battle, a soldier ready to die.


	3. Ready, Always Ready

I messed up

**I messed up. I promised a new chapter every week, and I haven't updated in exactly a month. Only two chapters in, and I'm already bailing out. Don't worry guys, I won't give this story up. It's just, I've had relatives visiting for the past **_**three weeks**_** and haven't had any time to myself. I'm also debating every new quote that comes up on Stephenie Meyer's website from Breaking Dawn with my friends in my spare time…showing exactly what a nerd I have come to be.**

_**Last Chapter:**_

_As I was throwing mine and Max's clothes into a canvas bag, I realized something._

_I had just given the Flock orders. They all had responded immediately without complaining._

_Even Max. The same Max who had never let anyone tell her what to do. The same Max who had always glared at me until I was about to whimper after I gave any order._

_The same Max who was now following my rules like a faithful soldier._

_A soldier being lead into battle, a soldier ready to die._

**Fang's POV**

I stalked around our campsite, glaring at anyone who dared step in my way. They didn't understand.

Well, they understood way more than they should, especially Angel. Most six year olds don't need to worry about making it home from school alive.

But they didn't understand why I _couldn't _be leader. It would be physically impossible for me to assume Max's position while she was still alive, although she hadn't been acting very alive for the past few weeks.

I shook my head, trying to physically shake the bad thoughts away. It didn't work, only added to my wicked bad headache. I glanced up at the sky after peering over Gazzy's shoulder to make sure he was packed up. The very edges of the horizon were starting to lighten up a little, but it would still be at least an hour before I felt safe taking my family into the air. Those SR-71 Blackbird 's could sneak up on you like no one's business. After Googling them on my wicked cool laptop, we found out the jet travels at least 3.3 times the speed of sound. Not bad, for something made by humans.

Nudge dug through her torn duffle bag, nearly sticking her head in it while calling out to me.

"Fang? Have you seen my hairbrush? 'Cause I can't find it anywhere, and I'm pretty sure I didn't lose it again, I mean, I remember having it like ten minutes ago, but all of the sudden…" Nudge trailed off as she lifted her head from inside her bag and stared open-mouthed at an opening in the woods.

"What is it, Nudge?" I attempted to keep my breathing normal.

"Max is back," She whispered, more to herself than to anyone else.

"What are you talking about? She never left." I sighed in relief to myself, so far enemies of any kind hadn't attacked us today.

Just then, Max made her entrance into the clearing. Without my realizing it, she had slipped into the woods. So much for me being a good leader. I sighed, turned around, and started walking back towards the rest of the Flock. Just then, the picture of the Max that had made an dramatic entrance in the clearing popped into my head. I didn't realize anything different until my eyes reached her hair.

All the twigs were gone. The leaves had been pulled out (rather violently, by the looks of it) and her hair had been brushed, for the first time in months.

I turned on my heel and stared at Max. My expression must have been lacking some seriousness, because Max gave me a half smile, which was enough to make me grin.

Yes, I -the dark, sarcastic one- was grinning in response to a half smile.

Nudge was right. Max was back, the old Max was back.

"So, Comrade, where to?" She grinned sheepishly at me.

I stared blankly at her. I had assumed she would automatically take her position as leader back as soon as she became herself again. As my eyebrows came together in confusion, I stole a glance around the rest of the Flock who had gathered silently. Looking at them, I realized something. I could see they still loved Max, and wanted her to get better. But something was different about the way they looked at her. It took me a few moments to come up with the right answer.

They didn't trust Max anymore.

This information hit me as hard as any fighter could have. I felt sick. Three years ago (when I was 13) I could never have imagined anyone in the Flock not being trusted. Then again, when I was 13, I could never have imagined Max being the way she was for so long just this past year.

With a deep breath, I brought my eyes back to meet Max's. For some reason, me taking charge had brought her back from the land of the dead. I wasn't about to take a chance by forcing her back into leader's position, no matter how much it hurt me.

"New Hampshire," I responded. Max looked at me questionably. "Just a feeling." I tore my eyes away from her insightful dark brown ones and faced the rest of my flock. The sky had lightened up while my world had changed, for better or for worse.

"Ready to leave?" I picked up my stuff and tossed Max's to her without waiting for a response.

I knew they would be ready. They always were.

**Sorry it's short, I haven't had any time lately, and my grandparents are here. They're leaving at nine o clock tomorrow morning, and three of my cousins are coming at 1:30 tomorrow afternoon. So I'll be busy :)**

**AND my parents are taking me and the cousins and the aunts and the uncles (...) to somwhere in the wilderness somewhere to stay in a log cabin. Fun. No internet for a week. Even more fun. There will be 11 people and one shower. That'll be the most fun.**


	4. The Letter

**Sup guys. Sorry I haven't updated since…I don't know when. I sprained my wrist while jumping up and down on my couch screaming while watching Michael Phelps swim the 100-meter butterfly. Then I fell…hard. Stupid excuse, I know, and I'm sorry. If it makes you feel any better, everyone laughed at me while helping me to the doctor's office. And I have an exchange student coming from Guatemala on Saturday, and have been getting ready for her like crazy.**

_**Last Chapter**_

"_New Hampshire," I responded. Max looked at me questionably. "Just a feeling." I tore my eyes away from her insightful dark brown ones and faced the rest of my flock. The sky had lightened up while my world had changed, for better or for worse._

_"Ready to leave?" I picked up my stuff and tossed Max's to her without waiting for a response. _

_I knew they would be ready. They always were. _

**Fang's POV**

Being defeated sucks. The worst feeling in the world is knowing there is nothing more you can do. I hated the strain I already felt on my not-until-recently used wing muscles. I hated that I had to push myself this early into the flight.

I just freakin' hate the world, okay? Not that I really get much choice on this matter. After all, it's not like I asked to be born like this. Not like I asked to get born at all.

I once again shook my head out. I had to stop thinking like this. Thinking that I might be thinking about thinking suicidal was enough to make me suicidal. Or something.

I can't even understand my thoughts anymore.

"Fang? Fang. Fang. Fang. Fang," Angel's tinkering voice pulled me out of my nightmare. Or my thoughts. Not quite sure yet.

"What, Ang?" I scowled to myself, already frustrated with not being able to be confident I knew where I was going.

"I'm tired. Everybody else is too. Iggy thinks he can hear a open house down under us somewhere. And a stream, he's pretty sure." Angel informed me.

"You know, Angel, some of us like keeping our thoughts to ourselves…" Iggy muttered darkly to himself.

"What's your problem, Iggy? You've been like totally dark and demented ever since we got into Ohio." Nudge snapped from the back of our formation, her wings flapping steadily.

"'Dark and demented'? Is that what you think of me now? Good to know I'm not just the blind pryo, now I'm the _dark and demented_ blind pryo. God, Nudge…" Iggy shook his head, teeth clenching.

"What is wrong with you?" Nudge snarled at him.

"What's wrong with _you_?" Iggy snapped back.

"_Enough_." I growled through my teeth. I turned back to glare at Iggy and Nudge, only to find Max smirking at me.

"Isn't being the leader _fun_?" She continued to smirk.

"Shut up." I growled before cruising to the back of the flock. "Iggy, Nudge, do I need to separate you?" I gave them my worst glare.

"No." They both responded simultaneously while glaring at each other.

"Then stop. Now." I flapped hard twice to retake my position in the front of the flock, Max flanking me from my right and Angel on my left.

I brought my hand up to pinch the bridge of my nose. These headaches I have been getting lately made me wonder if Max's headaches weren't just caused by us.

"Ang, you said we could land? We're landing. Now." I concentrated on breathing in and out. "Max? Take the lead, bring us down to that clearing over there. With the waterfall thing." My chest constricted when she automatically shifted into the front, taking orders from me without even a glare in return.

As we neared the waterfall, I began to make out shapes behind it. A stone house, with giant stone pillars stood at the top of the waterfall, which was actually more like a stream. But saying 'Hey! Let's go live by that waterfall' sounds way better than 'hey. Let's go bathe in a stream that happens to be flowing down a pointy rock.'. But whatever…

When my feet finally skidded along the rocky gravel leading up to the house, I could see how tired everyone else was. Even Max's usually determined face looked lined and the bags under her eyes could have given the idea she hadn't slept in the last 48 hours. Which she hadn't.

"Hey. C'mon guys. We're at this giant house, which looks kinda abandoned. Which is good for us. I don't know about you, but I'll be up for swimming after dinner." I grinned at Gazzy in a weak attempt to get him to smile back. My efforts were barely successful; all I received in return was a weak smile. I turned my attention toward the looming glass doors.

"Guys, look for anywhere to break in, I don't want to shatter the whole door…" I trailed off as my eyes flew to a note wedged in the glass door handle.

"Here we go!" Gazzy eyes gleamed evily as he eyed up a window. I saw a palm sized rock in his fist. Just before he lifted up his arm to catapult the rock through the window, I called out.

"Wait a sec'. I think I found something." Gazzy dropped his arm as a defeated look crossed his face.

I picked up the very worn letter. As I cautiously opened it (after all, the last letter I got blew up in my face) the whole flock crowed around me, craning their necks to get a better view. Max managed to wedge herself into my side, her eyes peering over my shoulder. I exhaled deeply, I had no idea if this letter was for us.

"Open the frickin' letter already…" Iggy grumbled from his place outside the circle. "And somebody start reading. Aloud I mean."

I shot a glare at him uselessly. "Language, Ig." I reminded him. Again.

"Open it." Max's voice brought me back to the present. I looked down at her (being four inches taller does have it's advantages), and saw for the first time in months, a curious look in her eyes.

"Right." My hand trembled along the edge of the sealed letter.

_ August 24__th__, 1992_

_Run. Run now. While you still can._

_My name is Deangelo. I moved here from Italy a year ago. I came to this country to find peace, but only found more despair. I ran from Italy to get away from…monsters. I found more here. It took me too long to realize there was nowhere for me to hide. Not with the piece of technology inside me. This piece of technology is what tells the monsters where I am. The piece of technology that is going to force me to never see another daylight, to keep my most precious possession safe. I shouldn't say that. Possession_s_ are more like it. Just yesterday, Arabella told me something that changed our lives forever. For her, it means being a single mother in a world of monsters. For me, it means one more life I could be responsible for ending. Arabella means 'answered prayer' in Italian, the land of which we both were born. Arabella is the answer to my prayers. My name supposingly means 'angel' but I contradict this, as I am surely no angel. Arabella claims I am the best thing that's ever happened to her. I sigh and shake my head when she says this, as the only reason we met was because of the fact we aren't normal. Arabella says we would have met anyways, that we were meant for each other. I'm not sure about that, but I know Arabella means everything to me. Every time I hear her name I can't help but smile a stupid looking smile that some would call love-struck. Every time I say her name, it feels like a whispered prayer. _

_It is because of the way I love her I am doing this. Arabella, if you ever read this, know that I did this because I love you more than myself. I love our unborn child more than myself. If you were right, and God really does care about us, and didn't curse us for being unnatural and wrong, we will meet again in everlasting glory. This chip inside of me would not only end my life, but also yours and our child's if I hadn't made the hardest decision of my life within the last two hours._

_Arabella, I love you. Keep our son safe (I feel he is a son, if not, keep our daughter safe), and keep yourself safe. Do not forget me, but don't mourn me for long either. I made this decision of my own will, and I think it is best. _

_Goodbye, Arabella._

I exhaled. "That's all. There's no more." I was appalled to see my hands were trembling. I felt Max shaking into my side. No one dared to speak.

"He…he killed himself…for them." Max whispered, but her voice carried to all of our ears easily enough. "He loved them enough to sacrifice himself." Max's eyebrows came together, as they did when she was deep in thought. I didn't like where this was going.

"It was stupid. There had to have been some other way." I muttered darkly, aiming my words at Max. I didn't want her getting any ideas. We were almost sure that the tracking device had been removed from her arm, but almost wasn't good enough for Max.

Max just shook her head.

"Don't you see? There _was _no other way!" Max's voice had become hysterical. "Just like there's no other way now." Max began stepping backwards slowly.

"I'm so sorry, Fang." Max whispered. A second too late I realized her plan.

"No, Max!" I growled through my teeth.

"I'm sorry…" Max stepped backwards…and over the waterfall. I lunged out after her and managed to grab her hand. The only problem now was we were both falling to our deaths (and a very painful one at that) over a set up of pointed rocks which all seemed to be directed at me.

"Max! Flip out your wings! I can't support both our weights!" I growled through my teeth. Max shook her head.

"Let go! You're going to get killed!" Max tried to tear her wrist from my grasp.

"No! We're in this together, remember?"

"Then you're about to die, Fang." Max looked at me, her brown eyes pleading.

"No!" I shouted, and without thinking slammed us both through the stream of water rushing down the drop off.

I felt the water pounding down on me. Everywhere there was water, pushing at me from all sides. I tightened my grip on Max's hand. I had lost all sense of direction. I waited to slam into solid rock that was surely behind the waterfall. I waited for my death to come. But it never came, all that came was more water.

In a time period that could have been three seconds or three years, I held my breath. Just as my oxygen supply ran out, the water stopped. The lack of pounding pressure disoriented me, and I fell forward on my face. I felt Max fall neatly on top of me, coughing up water and dripping. I saw a shadow of a creature that moved so gracefully, it was practically slithering bend over me and I felt a sharp prick in my side.

Then there was black.


End file.
